German parliament votes to make it easier for people to change name and gender

People hold a rainbow flag as they attend the 45th Berlin Pride Parade for Christopher Street Day (CSD) in Berlin (Fabian Sommer/AP)

The German parliament has approved legislation that will make it easier for transgender, intersex and nonbinary people to change their name and gender in official records.

The “self-determination law,” one of several social reforms that chancellor Olaf Scholz’s liberal-leaning coalition government pledged when it took office in late 2021, is set to take effect on November 1.